Adieu Blogger, Adieu.

So my friends, I am moving my blog location.  Wordpress seems to have a bit more going on than blogger and I think this might level the playing field between Gary and I (ha!)  The address isn't that different either.  It's just http://grandefullbody.wordpress.com

Update your links accordingly!

I will be maintaining a picasa web album though here with google.  That's at http://picasaweb.google.com/rdh.engley (I haven't uploaded anything yet though. It's new.)

Ta ta.

This Might Stir the Pot

But then again, I don't think Gary will take me to the workplace ethics compliance board.

One More Thing

Also discovered that my assumed readership of two is actually six. I have six regular readers.

Phenomenal.

Wah wah wah

I slept in this morning and drove my car to school to avoid being late. Parking is expensive and my (Bobby's) parking pass only qualifies for a couple hours so during my break I've dropped my car off at home and am writing a quick blog post.

Gary is complaining about his mid-terms these days and I've been suffering through the first bout of midterms for two weeks now. As everyone I have any contact with knows I also have a chest/sinus infection that has rendered me irritable and somewhat short-tempered.

All I want to do is curl up on a couch with some neocitran and fall asleep to crappy day-time TV.

Since my exams require I go to school, I've been using my iPod to elicit some sense of home-y-ness while away. Today's melancholy track of choice is Halah by Mazzy Star. I find Mazzy Star's ethereal moodiness perfect for days like today; I just want to complain, be ridiculously self-indulgent, and escape my institutional surroundings.

I can't wait to come home this afternoon and nap with my cat.

Also, you should listen to the song below because it is fantastic.

Elixir of Life

As I have been feeling under the weather, I have been drinking copious amounts of tea but have been avoiding my morning coffee. Today is my first day back to school since catching this bug and, regardless of my dry itchy throat, I am having my morning cup of coffee dammit. I'll quickly interject that I'm a bit of a snob and it's not really a morning coffee per-se but rather espresso. Delicious, delicious, espresso.

The way some smokers argue they could quit anytime, I also argue that I am not completely dependent on coffee; That's a load of crap. I may be able to quit anytime but why would I want to?? I love coffee. More often than not, what gets me out of bed in the morning is the thought of my coffee. We all have our vices - don't judge.

I'm like Fry in that episode of Futurama where he gets in the car accident and Zoidberg has to put him back together:

"I have bad news," Zoidberg says, "I couldn't re-attach your dorsal fin."

"Can I live without it?" Fry asks.

"If you call that living!" replies Zoidberg.

Complimentary Peanuts

Today Bobby left for Vancouver and I am taking a sick day.  I've had a nagging cough (which seems to be worse in the morning) for three days so I'm staying in.  Being alone and sick is making me feel a little bummed so, as a gift to me and my two readers (*cough Emanuel *cough Gary), I am providing complimentary peanuts.

I LOVE THEM.

Haiku

Like many things I've never tried, I imagine in my head that I'd be quite good at writing Haiku poetry. This is, of course, in the same vein that I'd also be quite good at kung fu, dancing, and flying a plane.

It's ridiculous.

I'm walking down a dark back alley when a mugger surprises me. I quickly overtake his pitiful attack and return home to write haiku poetry about my experience:

a morose creature

clandestine soul in hiding

try again - sucker

Soon after, I'm discovered for my amazing abilities. Gleaming with excitement from my new found success, I discover that Gary is already respected and established in said field.

He is my nemesis.

Katy Perry Sucks

My poor friends have had to suffer through my droning on about art history lately. I've been thinking a lot about periods of great artistic achievement and it seems like it tends to occur when someone with pull decides that, regardless of cost, great work should be produced for the sake of having great work.

I think it's unfortunate that the arts are now valued based on how much money they can make. It's the influence of capitalism on art. I'm not talking exclusively about fine art... my example is about music. Bear with me cause I'm about to use Katy Perry to make my point.

I hate "I Kissed a Girl." I hate it so much. When I hear it I want to barf in a grandiose epic scene akin to No Face barfing all over the baths in Spirited Away. My point is that Katy Perry had a really shitty song that was produced, exclusively I'm sure, to make a lot of money. I bet she hates that song. I bet she cries herself into a frenzy under scalding hot water in her marble and gold shower (think Tobias losing his Fire Sale part to Lindsay in Arrested Development) hoping to burn that icky feeling away. As she should. She sold her soul so that drunk 18 year old girls could make out in front of their guy friends at shitty bars across the world. Observe (the good part starts at about 40secs):



Now, the contrast: Katy Perry is capable of better music. She does a cover of Sam Sparro's Black and Gold which, while not an example of great artistic achievement, shows she's capable of more than she's engineered to do. I Kissed a Girl has been SOOOO lucrative and Katy Perry will likely continue to do crap like that so she can become infinitely wealthy (though I have to say I think Hot and Cold is AMAZING!)



There are of course other factors: That Katy Perry isn't actually that talented; That were it not for her pretty-face she might not have a career at all; That Black and Gold happens to be good because it's a cover (though it's not like she writes any of her own music in the first place. I digress and I think I'm off topic. My point is that I don't want people to have to be motivated by income to produce good work. I want good work for the sake of good work. Down with capitalism, up with Ryan's benevolent dictatorship.

25 Things

Right now on Facebook there's this "25 things" chain letter spreading like wildfire. I finally broke down and filled it out yesterday. I have to admit, it feels good to be so self-indulgent as to toot ones horn 25 times in row, telling all his friends "read about meeeeeeeee!."

I made a post

I made a blog post I swear. When I clicked publish my web browser told me I was no longer connected to the internet. Then, when I resolved the issue, my post was gone. Now I don't feel like re-writing it. I blame it on my crappy wireless router.

Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amélie Poulain

So I'm going through a little bit of a French culture kick these days. I attribute it in part to Bobby's trip to Paris which I imagine to be fantastic; His visit is a grainy black and white montage to the tune of some 20's singer smoking and droning on about amour. Partly, it's also my French class. It's been eons since I've taken any French but I'm remembering why I liked it so much and am becoming a bit of a keener.

In this kick I also rewatched Amélie. I know it's kind of a cliché but it's cute and I like it. The video I'm posting is more about the music than the footage. It's actually kind of crappy footage but it's a good song.

The Comeback (of the awkward)

Today was my first day back to school for the term. It wasn't terribly exciting. As the most notable class related happening of the day, I decided my phys. ed. teacher is unnecessarily hardcore. Her opening remark was "You can call me Mrs. Edwards, or Ms. Edwards, or Aletheia. But that's as friendly as it's gonna get."

I'm not sure how much more friendly it could get. "Hey tits" perhaps?

I digress.

This term my classes are all super far apart. I'm going to become the king of speedwalking by the end of the school year. I may invest in a pink Valerie Cherish style track suit for my daily strolls. On the first of my lengthy jaunts today I passed the awkward couple. You know, "the awkward couple" from high school. Both of them are really weird, they generally have acne, and for some reason are uncomfortably affectionate toward each other in public. They're the iconic alpha-couple of the social outcasts. Now they go to Grant MacEwan.

When I encountered them I was walking through the pedway from the 109st building to the Centre for Sport and Wellness. It's a somewhat narrow space, as pedways tend to be. So when I was heading toward them and they were heading toward me (holding each others hands in a death-grip,) it was impossible to look away when they paused to kiss.

It wasn't a pec. It wasn't a gentle smooch. It was a full-on, let's stop in the pedway, open our mouths and tongue-bang kind of kiss.

I don't know why only the really, really, really awkward couples seem to do this. I suppose it's good that they have each other. But I don't need to be part of their loving experience. The first thing I thought of when I witnessed the event was Aunt Sassy.

I burst onto the awkward just as she burst on to baby-girl:

"Note to self: I don't need to SEE that!"